Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.

David G Pechak

Mark S Miller

Gary F Smith

Linda K Jackson

Gregory S Buliga

Alice A Heth

Phillip J Kerwin

Jimbay Peter Loh

Ted Riley Lindstrom

Alice Shen Cha

Bruce Edward Campbell

Vernon C Witte

George A Henry

Matthew Zwolfer

Elizabeth M Parker

Alan C Hamann

William H Schwimmer

Cynthia C Baer

Isabelle Marie-Francoise Laye

Neela K Paul

Brian C Davison

Jill M Kennedy-Tolstedt

Laura J Prostko

Gerard L Hassenheutti

A process for producing a high moisture cream cheese having desirable textural characteristics (i.e., increased firmness) is provided. More specifically, the process of the invention provides a high moisture cream cheese with significantly increased firmness by controlling the moisture levels during the manufacturing process at levels below the final target moisture level of the final cream cheese product; the moisture level of the final composition is then adjusted to the final target moisture level by the addition of water. It has surprisingly been found that control of the moisture levels during the manufacturing process in this manner results in-significantly increased levels of firmness in the final cream cheese product. Indeed, the firmness of the high moisture cream cheese product produced using this method is about 5 to about 20 fold greater than standard cream cheese prepared without such moisture control.

High moisture cream cheese texture control

Substantially fat-free cheese slice products and methods for manufacturing such products, comprising less than about 1.67 weight percent fat.

Low fat processed cheese product having fat-mimetic properties and

The present invention is directed to a method for preparing a low fat or substantially fat-free food product such as pourable dressings and viscous dressings. The method includes the steps of heating and repeatedly shearing at least two times an aqueous dispersion consisting of from about 3 to about 10 weight percent of microcrystalline cellulose and from about 90 to about 97 weight percent water. The shearing occurs in a high shear zone having a pressure drop of at least 12,000 psi and the shearing is sufficient to fragment the microcrystalline cellulose to submicron sized microcrystalline cellulose fragments. The microcrystalline cellulose fragments are reagglomerated under high shear conditions to produce an aqueous dispersion of porous microreticulated microcrystalline particles having a void volume of at least about 25 volume percent, a mean particle size in the range of from about 5 to about 20 microns, and a particle size distribution such that at least about 75 weight percent of the particles have a maximum dimension of less than about 25 microns. The microreticulated microcrystalline cellulose dispersion is combined with from about 2 to about 33 weight percent of xanthan gum, based on the dry weight of the microreticulated microcrystalline cellulose dispersion. The xanthan stabilized microreticulated microcrystalline cellulose dispersion is then blended with additional food components to provide a low fat or fat-free food product. The food product has from about 0.25 to about 4 weight percent of dispersed microeticulated microcrystalline cellulose, from about 50 to about 99 weight percent of water, from about 1 to about 35 weight percent of carbohydrates, from about 0 to about 10 weight percent protein, and less than about 7 weight percent triglycerides.

Low calorie food products having smooth, creamy, organoleptic

Growing community of inventors

Glen Ellyn, IL, United States of America

David G Pechak